Automatic railway-switch.



PATENTED JUNE 11, 1907.

0. L. LANCE. AUTOMATIC RAILWAY SWITGH.

APPLICATION FILED NOV- 6, 1906.

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@lnvantoz: .L 0 n c e Wit" emu PATENTED JUNE 11, 1907.

0. L. LANCE. AUTOMATIC RAILWAY SWITCH.

APPLICATION nun NOV. e. 1006.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

V automaton O.L.l2ance No. 856,787. PATENTED JUNE 11, 1907.

'0. L. LANCE.

AUTOMATIC RAILWAY SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 6. 190a.

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O-ullnum/ ng fivwentoz Z? 0.12.20 06 Witnesses No. 856,787. PATENTED JUNE 11, 1907. 0. L. LANCE.

AUTOMATIC RAILWAY SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.6.1006.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4 3 nuentoz 0. L.L0/2ce ORA L. LANCE, OF CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE.

AUTOMATIC RAILWAY-SWITCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 11, 1907.

Application filed November 6, 1906. Serial No. 342,229.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ORA L. LANCE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chattanooga, in the county of Hamilton and State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Railway- Switches; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such will enable others.

skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in automatic switch operating and locking mechanism and more particularly to that class adapted to be used in connection with railway tracks and my object to provide a device of this class which may be automatically operated from the cab of the engine.

A further object is to provide means for locking the switch in its opened or closed po sition during the time the train is passing thereover. V i

A still further obj eot is to provide suitable means upon the locomotive for operating the switch without stopping the engine.

Other objects and advantages will be here inafter referred to and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In'the accompanying drawings which. are made a part of this application, Figure 1 is a plan view of a section of railway track and switch showing my improved setting and locking mechanism applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a sectional view as seen from line 2-2 Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional view as seen from line Fig. 1 Fi 4 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale seen from line 4-4 Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is an elevation of the device sho .vn in Fig. 4 with the rail removed. Fig. 6 is a detail view of the locking bar used in connection with my improved device. Fig. 7 is a plan view of my improved form of switch throwing mechanism. Fig. 8 is a sectional view thereof as seen from line 88 Fig. 7. Fig. 9 is a side elevation of a locomotive showing my improved device for engaging the throwing mechanism secured thereto, and, Fig. 10 is a front elevation thereof, partly in section.

Referring to the drawings in which similar reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, 1 and 2 indicate the main track rails and 3 and 4, re spectively, indicate the switch rails, said rails being secured in the usual or any preferred manner to cross ties 5. The rails 2 and 3 are provided with movable sections 6 and 7 respectively, which are pivotally secured to a locking bar 8, said bar extending below the track and switch rails and has connected to each of its ends bell crank levers 9 and 10, and 1.1 and 12, respectively, said levers being pivotally mounted upon the cross ties and are provided with slots 13 and i4, respectively, through which are disposed trunnions 15 and 16, respectively, secured to the ends of the locking bar 8.

Extending in opposite directions from the free ends of the levers 9 and 10 are operating rods 17 and 18, respectively, while similar rods 19 and 20 are secured to the free ends of the levers 1i and 12, repectively, said rods extending along the line of track way and into engagement with bell crank levers 21 pivotally secured in any preferred manner to the end of one of the cross ties 5. The opposite arms of the bell crank levers 21 are provided with slots 22 in which are disposed pins 23 carried by the lower ends'of links 24, the upper ends of said links being pivotally secured to depression bars 25 which are piv oted together at their union with the links 241- and have their free ends pivotally secured to slide blocks 26 which are in turn mounted in suitable sockets 27 carried by the ties 5, the object of said. slides and sockets being to etain the depression bars in proper alinement with the track rails.

In order to readily depress the bars 25 from the engine I have mounted upon the pilot 28 a bracket 29 to the upper end of which is pivotally secured a rocking arm 30, said. arm extending longitudinally of the pilot and has secured to its opposite ends, bars 3] and 32, said bars being slidably mounted in ways 33 carried by the pilot. The bars 31 and ?2 are provided at a point adjacent their upper ends with inwardly extending cars 34 between which are secured the ends of the rocking arm by means of pins 35 extending through the ears and through slots 36 in the ends of the rocking arm. The lower ends of the bars 31 and 32 are each provided with a contact wheel 37 which are adapted to engage the upper surface of the depression bars 25 and operate the same. The upper outer face of the bar 32 is provided with a rack 38 with which is adapted to mesh a pinion 39 carried on the end of an operating shaft 40, the lower end of said shaft being supported in standards 41 IIO whil e the opposite end thereof extends into the cab of the engine or any suitable point in reach of the attendant and is provided with an operating wheel 42. By this construction it will be seen that the engineer can readily open the switch without stopping the train or dismounting from the engine and to accomplish this result the shaft is rotated to the left thereby depressing the arm 32 and directing the wheel carried thereby into engagement with the depression bars 25 on the right hand side of the track and it will be. seen that when the depression bars are lowered that the locking bar 8 will be moved longitudinally through the medium of the bell crank levers 21 and 10 and the rod 18 disposing the movable section 7 of the rail 3 into engagement with the track rail 1 and disposing the movable section 6 out of engagement with the track rail 2 so that the train will pass onto the switch rails. If, however, the switch is open and it is desired to close the same the shaft 40 is rotated in the opposite direction thereby elevating the bar 32 and lowering the bar 31 and directing the wheel 37 at the lower end thereof into en gagement with the depression bars on the opposite side of the track which will result in moving the locking bar 8 longitudinally in the opposite direction through the medium of the bell crank levers 12 and 21 and rod 20, this operation disposing the movable sections 6 and 7 into the position shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing and leaving the main track open so that the train will pass the switch.

In order to hold the locking bar 8 and movable sections 6 and 7 in their adjusted position while the train is passingthereover I have provided locking plates 43 and 44, the plate 43 paralleling the outer face of the track rail l'while the plate 44 is extended along the outer face of a portion of the track rail 2 and switch rail 4, and is provided with hinges 45 so that the plate will readily conform to the angles of the outer faces of the track rail 2 and switch rail 4. The locking plates 43 and 44 are pivotally secured at their opposite ends to links 46 which are in turn rigidly secured to rock shafts 47, said shafts extending horizontally across the main track and find their bearings within the rails. Each of the locking plates is provided with a pair of depending fingers 48 which are adapted to extend on opposite sides of thelocking bar 8 and when the plates are depressed the fingers are depressed into engagement with notches 49in each edge of thelocking bar 8. The extreme outer ends of the plates 43 and 44 are rounded and provided with rollers 50 which are adapted to engage and travel over similar rollers 51 mounted upon the rails, the object in having the cooperating rollers being that when the tread of the wheel engages the.ends of the plates 43 and 44, said plates will be given a longitudinal movement so as to dispose the links 46 out of their vertical position thereby allowing the plates to freely descend and carry one of the fingers 48 into one of the notches 49 in the locking bar 8 and it will be seen that as long as the car wheels are into engagement with the plates that the locking bar will be securely held againstlongitudinal movement. As soon as the train has passed over the plates 43 and 44 said plates are again elevated by means of springs 52 which are carried in suitable sockets 53 formed on the inner faces of braces 54, said braces being in turn carried by a base 55 extending parallel with the locking plates and resting upon the cross ties. The plates 43 and 44 are disposed over the springs 52 and between one face of the rails and braces 54 and thereby preventing lateral movement of the locking plates. The locking plates are further braced by means of auxiliary brace members 56 which are secured to the base 55 and at a distance from the brace 54. This construction insures that the locking bar will be securely held in its adjusted position while the train is passing thereover, thereby preventing the accidental opening and closing of the switch.

It will now be seen that I have provided a positive and economical device for opening and closing the switch without stopping the train and it will further be seen that the switch will be positively locked in its opened or closed position while the train is passing thereover.

l/Vhat I claim is:

1. In a device of the class described the combination with track rails and switch rails cooperating therewith; of means to automatically open or close said switch comprising a locking bar, means to move said locking bar longitudinally locking plates movablymounted at the outer faces of the track rails and a pair of depending fingers on each of said plates adapted to engage notches in the edges of said locking bar and hold the same in its adjusted position.

2. In a device of the class described the combination with track rails and switch rails cooperating therewith; of a locking bar pivotally secured to the movable sections of said rails, means at each end of said locking bar to reciprocate the same longitudinally locking plates at the outer edge of and pivotally secured to said rails and a pair of depending fingers on each of said plates adapted to engage notches in the locking bar and hold the same in its adjusted-position.

3. In a device of the class described the combination with track rails, switch rails having movable sections cooperating therewith, a bar having notches in each edge thereof connecting said movable sections and means to move said bar longitudinally; of plates, means to movably secure said plates to the outer face of said rails and above the edge thereof, a pair of fingers carried by each ofsaid lates adapted to engage notches in said loc king bar when the plates are depressed and means to normally hold said plates in an elevated position.

4. In a device of the class described the combination with track rails, switch rails cooperating therewith, a locking bar for said rails and means to move said locking bar longitudinally; of plates, links pi'votally secured to said plates, rock shafts rigid with said links, means to normally hold the upper edges of said plates above the surface of said rails and depending fingers on said plates and at each side of said locking bar adapted to engage notches in said locking bar when the plates are depressed.

5. In a device of the class described the combination with track rails, switch rails cooperating therewith, said rails having movable sections and a bar connected to said movable sections; of longitudinally movable plates, means to retain said plates in juxtaposition to the outer faces of said rails, means to normally hold sai-d plates above the upper surface of said rails and depending fingers arranged in pairs carried by said plates adapted to engage said bar and hold the same in its adjusted position when the plates are de ressed.

6. n a device of the class described the combination with track rails and switch rails cooperating therewith, said rails having movable sections; of a rocking bar pivotally secured to said movable sections, bell crank levers at each end of said locking bar and yieldmgly secured thereto, depression bars at each side of said track rails and at a distance i from the locking bar, links depending from said depression bars, bell crank levers yieldingly secured to the lower ends of said links, rods connecting said bell crank levers with the first mentioned bell crank levers and means to depress said depression bars whereby the locking bar will be moved longitudinally and the switch opened or closed.

7. In a device of the class described the combination with track rails, switch rails cooperatingtherewith, a bar for said switch rails and means to operate said bar; of rock shafts extending through said rails and finding bearings therein, links rigid with the ends of said rock shafts, plates pivotally secured to said links whereby when said shafts are rotated said plates will move downwardly and longitudinally, means to normally dispose the upper edge of said plates above the track rails, rollers at each end of said plates adapted to cooperate with similar rollers upon the rails and depending fingers on said plates adapted to engage notches in said bar and hold the same against longitudinal movement when the plates are depressed.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ORA L. LANCE.

WVitnesses:

A J. B. BARRON,

JOHN R. EVANS. 

